PTI
 
New Delhi, Dec 2: Hoping to put behind their near-miss at the Olympics, Beijing quarter-finalists Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar - along with AL Lakra - on  Tuesday night leave for the four-day inaugural Boxing World Cup in Moscow, Russia.

India will have a four-strong presence at the event and wild card entrant light heavy weight pugilist Dinesh Kumar will leave on December 5 after sorting out his travel documents.

The World Cup promises to be a tough competition as only the best-eight from the Olympics entered the draw. Both Lakra (57kg) and Dinesh were invited after a few pullouts from their respective weight categories.

Bantam weight pugilist Akhil, who disappointingly lost to a little-known Moldovan in the Olympic quarter-finals after beating a world champion in the previous round, said he is confident of ending the year on a high at the World Cup which is scheduled from December 10 to 14.

"I always aim for the gold and nothing less than that. It has been a grueling two months of training and I am confident of doing well in Moscow," he said.

Jitender (51kg), whose Olympic heartbreak was compounded by the fact that he had to fight with 11 stitches on his chin, also oozed confidence.

"My target is very clear, we have all practices very hard and we will definitely come good in Moscow," he said.

Both Akhil and Jitender had undergone a fortnight of training in South Africa, where they sparred with professional boxers in Durban. The duo's fitness was taken care of renowned South African physio Heath Matthews.

The four-member team's coaching staff will comprise GS Sandhu and Jaidev Bisht.

Beijing bronze medalist Vijender Singh (75kg) has pulled out citing a back injury.